From time to time patients ask me what they can do at home to either speed their recovery and reduce their pain. One of the main causes of pain is a trigger point. It is a bundle of muscle fibers forming a knot. When pressure is applied to this knot, it causes pain at the point of pressure and at a distant point. The pain is usually a numb, burning, ache that is difficult to describe.
A classic example is to put pressure on the trigger point beside the shoulder blade. You will then feel pain in the anterior chest or pain down the arm. The most effective treatment is to apply pressure to the point and hold for 10 to 20 seconds then release. I have found that, for my own use, a Thera Cane makes it easy to do this at home when there is no one around to get to the points you can not reach yourself. There are many types of these devices available. If you have an interest, we can order one for you or feel free to order one yourself from Amazon.